Disappearing campaign signs frustrate candidates

A campaign sign for Spring-Ford Area School Board candidates knocked down. Submitted by Tom DiBello.

ROYERSFORD — Several candidates in the Spring-Ford area are expressing frustration at disappearing or damaged campaign signs in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election.

“I don’t even understand that,” said Tom DiBello, the current president of the Spring-Ford Area School Board running for re-election in the district’s Region III. “As long as I’ve been involved (in politics), I don’t even touch anybody else’s signs.”

DiBello and his running mate, current Spring-Ford board vice president, Joe Ciresi, said they’ve seen their signs knocked down, ripped in half the long way, had pieces ripped off, or just outright pulled out and stolen with their opponent’s signs put in their place.

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Specifically, throughout the Aronimink Drive neighborhood of Limerick, DiBello said his and Ciresi’s signs completely disappeared.

John Grispon, a Spring-Ford School Board Region III candidate who was knocked off the ballot by the May primary election, claimed he saw a man in a black hooded sweatshirt taking down signs for Robert Weber, opponent to DiBello and Ciresi, on 10th Avenue in Royersford last week.

Weber did not return a call for comment.

Ciresi told The Mercury that he actually saw some of his signs gone from the same section.

In the Limerick tax collector’s race, dozens of signs have gone missing.

Annamarie Chestnut, the Democrat challenger to current Republican tax collector Ryan Wall, said she lost 24 signs just last week all along Lewis Road.

Chestnut shrugged it off.

“I think it’s just part of the territory,” of being in an election, she said.

She said she thinks at least some of her signs have fallen prey to landscaping.

Neither the Limerick nor Royersford Police have received any official reports of stolen campaign signs.

“I remember instances in past years but nothing has been reported to us this year so far,” said Corporal Tom Nerlinger, acting chief of the Royersford Police.

DiBello said he mentioned something to a Royersford officer once justto give him a heads up but didn’t want to file anything official.

“I mean, if I’m out and I see someone’s sign knocked over, even if it’s not mine, I’ll put it back up,” DiBello said. “I don’t want to win an election doing that. I’m not going to rip people’s signs out.”

About the Author

Frank Otto is a general assignment reporter covering Phoenixville, Limerick and Spring-Ford schools in addition to features and spot news. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Otto moonlights with the sports department on occasion. Reach the author at fotto@pottsmerc.com
or follow Frank on Twitter: @fottojourno.